23 September, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

Carelessness

1. Some people think that they are good Christians because they avoid committing grave sin and more or less fulfil their duties. They do not entirely omit their prayers, but they are content to recite them listlessly.

They go to Mass on days of obligation, but they are afraid of arriving too early and so they are usually a little late. Once Mass is over, they leave the church as if it had gone on fire. During Mass, they are cold and distracted. They are like candlesticks without candles; their minds are absent, their hearts are mute.

In regard to their work or other obligations, any excuse suffices to escape or to leave a job half-done. It is useless to expect from them anything like fervour in prayer, attention to duty, or a spirit of sacrifice in the performance of good works.

Such people are only half-Christians. They do not wish to serve Satan, but they lack the generosity and the strength of will to become true sons of God.

Do you belong to this category? If your carelessness derives from a lack of appreciation of divine things and of your duty in life, you can hardly avoid grave fault. If it comes from laziness, tepidity, or lack of mortification, there is no doubt but that you are close to mortal sin. Anyone who is negligent not only disgusts men, but he is an object of loathing to God also and is running the risk of being abandoned by Him. We should examine ourselves seriously and if we discover this indifference in ourselves, we should shake off our lethargy and make good resolutions to love God more and to serve Him with greater fidelity and diligence. We should be ready, no matter how great the sacrifice, to avoid every imperfection and sin. Any offence against God can lead us nearer to eternal damnation.

2. Reflect on the infinite generosity of God, Who created us, redeemed us from sin by shedding the blood of His divine Son, and enriched our souls with graces and supernatural gifts. How can we remain indifferent and fail to correspond willingly with such goodness? Virtue cannot be achieved without diligence, and we cannot be true Christians without virtue. Let us consider the example given us by the Saints. They lived in a continual and prayerful union with God; they never refused any task or any sacrifice in order to show their love for Jesus and their total dedication to His will; they made every effort to attract others towards holiness and to bring about the triumph of the kingdom of Christ in the world. What are we doing? What are we prepared to do in future?

3. A zealous Christian, ordered in all things, always ready to do his duty and to promote his own spiritual welfare and that of his neighbour, is the source of great edification. Of him can be said what was written of Jesus Himself: “He has done all things well.” (Mk. 7:37) The same must be true of us if we are to be genuine disciples of Jesus Christ.

There are many ways of helping ourselves to do our duty well and of increasing the fervour of our interior lives. (1) Live always in the presence of God. (2) Remember that nothing is insignificant in His eyes as long as it is done for Him. (3) Ask Him insistently for His love, repeating with St. Francis of Assisi: “My Lord, my God, my all!”